2017 US Releases from Domaine de Bellene & Maison Roche de Bellene
Nicolas Potel has the most amazing side labels with information on surface area of vineyard planted, rootstock, plantation date, planting density, exposition, soil type, altitude, slope and even GPS location! They are ridiculously, delightfully nerdy. On the label you can also find the harvest date, fermentation vessel, final malolactic fermentation percentage, fining and filtration details and bottling date. It's almost as good as sitting with Nicolas himself.
In addition to his Domaine de Bellene wines, Nicolas produces négociant wines through his labels Maison Roche de Bellene and Bellenos (a value-driven label with fizz, white, rosé and red). I've combined the Domaine et Maison wines below, sorted by red and white then by score.
When I visited Nicolas to taste through his 2017s in late October 2018, he described the vintage's harvest period as relatively easy. The weather in September was beautiful, the fruit was free of botrytis and other problems and the fruit tasted balanced. Even the vinifications went well. Here is a smaller selection of wines that I have just tasted in New York.
Reds
93
Maison Roche de Bellene 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 13.5% $330
Licorice lights up the nose before blueberries, black plums and figs saturate the palate. Full-bodied, broad and spicy with a tobacco-leaf and leather tinged finish, this is laced with mineral tones. Concentrated, layered and lingering on the finish, this robust Grand Cru is nicely supported by feathery tannins and integrated, subtly lifting acidity. My October 2020 notes read similarly, though the wine was tasting a bit more generous and less structured that day.
Drink: 2022-29
Some details: 0.1285 hectares (ha) of vines averaging 45 years old and producing 35 hectoliters (hl)/ha. Facing east-southeast on clay and limestone soils at 280 meters and hand harvested on 11 September. Aged in 50% new French oak with no fining or filtering before bottling on 23 May 2019.
93
Domaine de Bellene 2017 Beaune Premier Cru Cuvée du Cinquantenaire Vieilles Vignes 12.5% $80
This bottling is fresh and firm with crunchy red fruit aromas softened by a black cherry palate. There are tinges of anise and dried morels, too. The palate is buoyant with striking acidity that, while refreshing, also does enhance the gritty and sinewy tannins. It's one to set aside for a while, even if this would be up to the task of being paired now with something along the lines of a pork tenderloin accompanied by a spiced cherry compote. The layered, complex and extended flavors along with the focused structure show that this has a long life ahead. This was also incredibly spicy in October 2018. This showstopper over-delivers for the price point! This is an fine expression of Beaune's potential. It is a hillside that has been hidden behind the big names of the large négociant houses for a long time, and at last, it is seeing more individual expressions.
Drink: 2022-29
Some details: Composed of five Premier Crus: Pertuisots (planted 1963, facing east-southeast), Montée Rouge (1982, south), Les Bressandes (1961, east-southeast), Clos du Roi (1962, east-southeast) and Reversées (1971, east-southeast). Ranging from 227-275 meters in altitude with 0.5% to 23% slopes. Aged in 50% new French oak and filtered but not fined.
92*
Maison Roche de Bellene 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 13% $110
This is a very pretty Gevrey-Chambertin with lifted, dried rose petal notes and a rambunctiously complex mix of briar, sloe and black cherry fruits. The attack is silky-smooth, spreading across and gripping the mid-palate before bursting into an excitedly refreshing finish that lingers with an earthy, dried morel mushroom note. Truly delightful and rather a more elegant expression of Gevrey. Young but ready if you like more vigorous Pinot Noir, this is probably best appreciated with a bit of patience. My October 2018 notes read very similarly, and I even noted this as one of my favorites of the tasting.
Drink: 2021-25
Some details: 9,196 bottles were produced from 1.724 ha of vines averaging 45-60 years old and producing 40 hl/ha. Vines face east-southeast and sit at 260 meters. Hand-picked from 10-15 September. Only 10% new oak aging with filtration but no fining before botting on 10 December 2018 on a Fruit Day.
91
Domaine de Bellene 2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes 12.5% $75
Vinous from the first sniff, this wine is full of vigorous blackberry and briar fruits with a underlying strain of barn floor funk. With air, the wine quickly cleans up and delivers an explosion of crunchy, summer fruit freshness. The talc-like tannins give a well-judged but surprising firmness, doing a fine job of harnessing the power of this concentrated Vieilles Vignes. A strong minerally vein comes out toward the back palate and persists through the long finish. This is much too young now, but it holds great promise with - seemingly - only a few years wait. Over three hours, this opened up to show blueberries, wildflowers and licorice. Classic Nuits-Saint-Georges, this was reduced when I tasted it in October 2018, so it was a pleasure to see how it had come around.
Some details: 2,309 ha of vines with an average age of 68 years are grafted onto 3309 C rootstock. The south-facing vines sit at 245 meters on 5% slopes. Harvested between 9-19 September. Aged in 50% new French oak barrels and fined but not filtered before bottling on 19 February 2019. And, for the über-geeks, trans-resveratrol is 0.43 mg/L and piceatannol is 0.07 mg/L.
88
Domaine de Bellene 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune Rouge Vieilles Vignes 13% $50
Dark black cherries and tangy cranberries dance on the sappy mid-palate laced with licorice. The medium body is tightly gripped by firm tannins and vivid acidity. (My October 2018 notes show more elegant tannins, so it's surprising to see that after fining and filtering that the wine currently is so bracing.) A nicely earthy finish tinged with tobacco leaf delivers a definitively Burgundian note to the finish. This needs time for the bracing tannins to relax.
Drink: 2021-24
Some details: 1.013 ha averaging 66 years old and planted in clay-limestone soil facing south-southeast at 283 meters on a 6% slope. Harvested by hand on September 10th and aged in 30% new French oak. Fined and filtered before bottling on 20 February 2019. Trans-resveratrol is 0.94 mg/L and piceatannol is 0.14 mg/L.
87
Maison Roche de Bellene 2017 Volnay Vieilles Vignes (sample) $80
The tangy cherries and tobacco touches offered a beguiling start. However, the strapping, dry and short finish thudded on the back palate, even after three hours of air. This is reinforced by the good, crunchy lift, but at least there is very good refreshment. Overall, the fruit is a bit hollow. (Not tasted in October 2018.)
Drink: 2020-23
Whites
92
Domaine de Bellene 2017 Beaune Les Perrières Premier Cru 14% $120
This is a very impressive wine coming from only fifth leaf fruit! Silky and sumptuous in texture, this pure and sensuous white glides across the palate. Tasting of hay, spiced apples and toasted brioche, this is a layered and complex, youthful beast. Generously mineral on the back palate, there is a slightly awkward, clipped finish thanks to some tight tannins accented by tangy lift. However, this wasn't present in October 2018; the finish was smooth and moreish. Like the Savigny-lès-Beaune, this might just be an awkward moment. Overall, this is impressive juice, and I would never guess that this was 14% abv.
Drink: 2020-25
Some details: 0,2242 ha grafted onto 3309 C and planted in 2013 at 10,000 vines per ha facing east in clay-limestone soils at an impressive 410 meters on an 18% slope. Hand harvested on September 5th.
92
Maison Roche de Bellene 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes 13% $100
A beautiful example of Chassagne-Montrachet, this is a study in balanced elegance between sublimely ripe fruit and a kiss of new French oak. The aromas exude toasted hazelnuts and challah bread. The palate echoes the same accompanied by roasted apples; it even hints at tarte tatin. Round and supple, the mildly glycerol-driven texture pulls the flavors into a lingering and mineral-laden finish. My October 2018 note was virtually the same, though it noted more baking spice than was evident here.
Drink: 2020-25
Some details: 0.5 ha averaging 55 years old at 48 hl/ha facing southeast in clay-limestone soil at 270 meters. Hand harvested from 4-6 September and aged in 10% new oak. Fined and filtered then bottled on 10 December 2018.
91
Domaine de Bellene 2017 Santenay Les Charmes Dessus 13.5% $50
Rich in flavor, yet elegant in structure, this Santenay reminds me of the noble houses that dot this incredibly pretty town in the southern Côte de Beaune. This is a sleek and balanced beauty with dazzling acidity and a lightly drying tannic tug, making it an excellent companion at the table. Its nose is demure, but its palate is vivid with tastes of crunchy green and golden apples, star fruit, fresh hazelnuts and a light mint and aloe note on the medium finish. Drinking well now, this has time to expand and evolve in bottle. Similarly noted in October 2018, the wine also showed more floral lift then.
Drink: 2020-25
Some details: 0.392 ha planted in 2004 facing south-east on "big" - as Nicolas called them - clay soils with limestone at 257 meters and 2% slope. Hand harvested on September 10th. Aged in 30% new French oak barrels with no fining but with filtration then bottled on 8 November 2018.
91
Domaine de Bellene 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune 13.5% $50
Today, this is reticent to the point of being a bit backward. Its aromas put up a toasty, nutty front, and its palate gives some citrus-squirted apple tones with underlying earthy notes. It's a rather full-bodied Savigny with a round and caressing mid-palate that brings on a surprising contrast with its sharp back palate lift on the moderate finish that features a grainy, drying texture. This would surely benefit from some extra time in bottle. Its pure flavors and solid concentration should give it a good life expectancy. More open in October 2018, this was full of floral and peach notes, and the acidity felt refreshing rather than sharp. This may be going through a slight awkward stage, or it might have just been this bottle.
Drink: 2020-24
Some details: Four plots covering 1.6697 hectares (the Burgundians are incredibly careful in their counting!). Vines average 41 years of age and face south-southeast on an average 12% slope. Hand harvested on September 5th followed by 30% new oak during its aging. Filtered but not fined then bottled on 7 November 2018.
89
Maison Roche de Bellene 2017 Meursault Vieilles Vignes 13% $100
Bold and forward on the nose, this dramatically toasty wine smells of toasted hazelnuts and sweet brioche. There's a big mid-palate pop spiced pears followed by a vacuum-like finish that is hollow and turns very dry. Definitely a wine for food to soften the tannin as well as the vigorous acidity. My notes from October 2018 read similarly.
Drink: 2020-23
Some details: 1.75 ha between 48 to 62 years old facing east-southeast in clay limestone at 280 meters and making an average of 45 hl/ha. Picked from 4-8 September and aged in 10% new oak with fining and filtration before bottling on 10 December 2018.
88
Maison Roche de Bellene 2017 Saint-Véran 13% $28
A round and mouth-filling Saint-Véran, this one is packed with sweet pears, pomelo and yuzu peel. The medium, integrated acidity is followed by a dry finish to create a crisp final impression laced with mineral-driven notes and youthful fruits. This definitely tastes like bolder, broader wine with the more generous ripeness characteristic of the Mâconnais. This is incredibly approachable. This smelled more herbal in October 2018 (bottling had already been finished), and it clearly is settling down nicely.
Drink: 2020-22
Some details: 1,636 ha of Chardonnay planted in clay-limestone soils at 240 meters and oriented southeast. Averaging 40 years old and planted at 10,000 vines per hectare, production averages 55 hl/ha. Hand harvested the 13th of September. Aged in French oak with full malolactic fermentation, fining and filtration. Bottled April 1st.